For those of you anxious to see construction started on the Columbia River Crossing, be careful what you wish for. The state of Oregon wants to take the project on alone. Oregon has been trying to fix their Cover Oregon website since Oct. 1, 2013. After spending $100 million-plus, the website has not enrolled one person. How do you think they will run a $3 billion CRC project?
Salem and Portland’s liberal majority would to like to stuff the crime train into Vancouver and force Washington drivers to pay for it. Washington’s liberal senator, Patty Murray, says there is $65 million available from the federal government in New Start Grants to build the light-rail connection from Portland to Clark College (“Murray touts $65M for CRC,” front page, Jan. 15, The Columbian). $65 million is less than 2 percent of the total project.
Where do these mental giants think the rest of the funds are going to come from? The CRC project will not be built for the $3 billion that has been projected. By the time it’s finished, it will be closer to $5 billion. Remember who wants to run the job — Oregon’s liberal government. They have a history of cost overruns on anything they try and manage.
Tom Effinger
RIDGEFIELD
